Merry Christmas, Doctor Song
by cmartlover
Summary: Christmas is fast approaching...but the Doctor is trying to win a bet. Little does he know that both he and River will soon discover something quite remarkable...


**Author's Note: So, here's a proper Christmas fic for you all. I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Amid the rumbles of the extraordinary time machine, a peculiar man in a bow tie scrambled frantically.<p>

Sifting his hands through a mountain of random items, which were enclosed within some sort of storage closet, the Doctor refused to lose a bet that he'd made nearly five hours before.

As he grew perplexed, it became obvious that his efforts were obtaining no success.

Although a scarlet Santa hat covered his mop of scraggly brown hair, and his body was entangled with a chain of blinking, multi-colored lights, it was clear that the Doctor had not met his most important objective.

"Oh, come on! It's got to be around here somewhere…" The raggedy man blurted out, his thoughts then momentarily shifting to another matter.

_What possessed me to accept such a stupid bet?_ The answer, the Doctor knew, could be found in the seductive lips of an irresistible, curly haired woman, who at the moment, he supposed must have been laughing hysterically at his misfortune.

River Song was obviously aware of her husband's stubborn pride, and so naturally she must have found it amusing to use it against him.

As if a glorious light had dawned upon a sea of darkness, the Doctor suddenly ceased his awkward motions.

Pursing his lips in a childish grin, the man in the bow tie began to shake his hands frenziedly, as he always did when having a stroke of genius.

His green eyes bursting with a newfound energy, the Doctor rushed out of the room, and fumbled hastily through the lubricant corridors of the TARDIS.

Though pain began to shoot through his skinny legs, he continued to keep a steady pace, until he had reached his desired destination at last.

Rummaging his callused fingers through another pile of junk, he chuckled happily when his hands could feel the rough texture of artificial pine needles.

"Aha!" The Doctor nearly yelped, as he forcefully removed the tattered Christmas tree out from beneath a clump of heavy objects.

Racing out of the obscure room, the Doctor, tree in hand, could not refrain from boasting of his recent triumph.

"Ha! River, I found it! I found the Christmas tree! You said I couldn't do it…but I did…so, that means I won the bet!" The man in the floppy Santa hat exclaimed in a sing-songy voice, while twisting his head in various directions, as if in an attempt to find his non-present wife.

"River, come on…where are you? This isn't funny, River…What have you been doing all this time, anyway?" The Doctor inquired breathlessly, before he was brutally hit by the cold, stench of reality.

Wait. What if something terrible happened to her?

Slapping himself, the man in the bow tie nearly swore under his breath.

_Oh, River…what have I done…How could I have been such an idiot?_

The raggedy man wondered, as his mind began to teem unmercifully with all sorts of troubling images—visions of heartless metal men, emotionless squid-like creatures trapped within deadly metal shells, and hideous monsters that could never be remembered, all of which could have been responsible for his wife's disappearance.

Fumbling his fingers quickly through the pockets of his tweed jacket, the Doctor clutched his sonic screwdriver, so that he could scan the TARDIS for any possible traces of life.

A soft melody reverberated throughout the Doctor's ship, causing his heavy breathing to finally slow down to a more normal rate.

_Oh, that must be River…probably listening to some sort of Christmas music._

Because the gorgeous cadence was rich in tone and beauty, the raggedy man felt an invisible force tug at his aching soul.

As he followed the echo of the breathtaking music, the Doctor attempted to decipher the sound of every distinct syllable.

"_Si-lent Night…Ho-ly Night…All is calm…All is bright…Round yon vir-gin…moth-er and child…Ho-ly infant so…tend-er and mild…sleep in heav-en-ly peace…"_

As the carol continued, the Doctor discovered that the light Soprano voice must have been the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

But that was not all, for the words themselves conveyed a soothing, awe-inspiring message, though he could not quite understand why this was true.

Once again, he became absorbed in the lush, peaceful tone of the woman's voice, though he assumed it originated from some old CD that River must have found while he had been frantically searching for the Christmas tree.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Cautiously opening the door to the room that he had discovered was the source of the music, the Doctor suddenly felt his body go rigid, as if he had become paralyzed by the shocking sight that he was currently witnessing.

River.

Oh.

Before him stood his mesmerizing wife, her golden curls dangling above a stunning emerald colored gown, which shaped her body perfectly.

But these features were not the least bit surprising; rather, it was the tune that cascaded from her lips that left the Doctor completely stunned.

When he had finally regained his composure, the man in the crimson bow tie attempted to speak, but the soft touch of his wife's cherry flavored lips left him utterly speechless.

After savoring the tender embrace, the Doctor finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind.

" River, you can sing? Where did you learn to sing like that?" The words hung amid the silent air, until River responded quietly.

"Yes, dear. Haven't you ever considered my name? River _Song. Melody_ Pond. As for where I learned to sing…does it really matter?" Her answer enticed the Doctor to plead more desperately.

" Come on, River, I've been worried sick about you. The least you could do is tell me…" His big doe eyes fluttered back and forth convincingly.

" Oh, all right, Sweetie. When I was living alone in Leadworth, I had been walking down a quiet alleyway, wallowing in sorrow, when suddenly I heard a woman singing _Silent Night._ I had been so upset, but she just smiled at me and continued to sing that gorgeous melody…and all of a sudden, it was as if all my pain just melted away…if only for an instant…I can't really explain it." River relayed the details to the Doctor, her eyes shimmering with tears.

"River…who was that woman…tell me about her…because quite possibly she could be the most important thing in the entire universe…" Both of them knew that the Doctor's suggestion was outrageous, but that certainly didn't stop River from answering.

" Well, it's rather difficult to remember…but I think she had the curliest hair I have ever seen…and she was wearing a pretty green dress…wait…Doctor, where are you going?" The woman with the curly hair inquired, before her husband stopped and shot her a handsome smirk.

"Christmas…1996."

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><p>Leaning against his blue box, the Doctor watched the whimpering, dark skinned child venture down the street.<p>

She looked awfully sad—and cold, for that matter, as she was trying to bundle up beneath her threadbare jacket.

As much as he would have liked to comfort her and hold her tightly in his strong arms, the Doctor knew that such an action could have very well punched a hole in the universe, so he refrained, and instead, stood watching from a safe distance away.

His hearts warmed when the girl's gloomy frown transformed into a tiny smile.

Then, his gaze shifted to the stunning woman with the most beautiful hair he had ever seen—his wife, who was smiling brightly and singing once again.

Glancing back at the shivering little girl, he realized that her pale lips were also moving slightly.

Once the breathtaking song had ended, the child halted, standing in awe, but soon quickly galloped out of sight.

Her eyes welling with tears, River motioned toward the Doctor, and he lovingly entangled his fingers in hers, before tenderly whispering words of comfort.

" Merry Christmas, Doctor Song," came the Doctor's unexpected remark, as he pointed his long finger toward the foggy sky, silently reveling at the sight of the glorious white specks that were gracefully lacing the surface of the ground.

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><p><strong>Note: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who or Silent Night.<strong>

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story. Have a merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!**


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